Taking commissions isn’t the only way that you can make a living as an artist. If you value holding on to your creative control and working on your own terms, there are a number of ways you can do your own thing and still make money.
The traditional route of working to commissions was how Inna Vjuzhanina started her career. “Unfortunately the most common scenario for ‘breaking into the freelancing industry’ is taking a lot of underpaid projects just to make ends meet,” she says. “I was doing a lot of highly detailed illustrations in a short period of time for really small pay. That’s a recipe for burnout.”
''Growing Patreon has been a gradual and long process, so you have to be patient''
Feeling increasingly drained, she began a gradual transition to making her income from Patreon
